Interview Diego Cafolla (by mailer)

Hello guys, last time we talked you were playing in Nice with Spheric Universe Experience in 2013 and the audience was very small. I complained in my report, but isn’t this frustrating for you at times?

Nice to hear back from you. Well, obviously to have a lot of people in the audience is always very cool but it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun playing for a small audience. So it can be frustrating to know there will be a small audience when you are backstage but once you go on stage you just deliver the show in a trance mental state… it’s very difficult to explain but it’s like entering a different reality.

Isn’t it difficult to find the motivation and the energy to play for a small crowd?

Well as I said you could lack a bit of motivation to go on stage but once you’re there you always give 100% of what you have.

You guys played at the US Prog Fest, toured with Pain Of Salvation in the US and Canada but still not much headlining dates, what’s so difficult?

The scene nowdays is very crowded and it’s not easy to stick out especially if you don’t have a big label/management on your back. Anyway starting from "In Crescendo" we always did a European tour in support of every new record. Sure, we don’t play every country but with "Eidos" we played basically the whole central Europe area. Touring costs a lot, so you have to figure out where you can play and where you can't.

Is the fact that you are based in Italy complicating things even more?

Well, coming from Italy complicates things logistically for sure since you have to travel a lot just to reach the main touring spots (i.e. Germany, Netherlands etc.). Don’t know if there are still people looking for Italian bands like it was the case ten or twenty years ago, when there was this idea of a second-rate music scene (and I totally can see why). Nowadays I think we have a bit more credibility so I don’t think it’s such a big penalty. Sure people are always surprised when they discover we are an Italian band and tell us that we don’t sound like an Italian band. It happens every time.

Anyway, enough complaining, and before we talk about your new stuff, you guys released in 2015, "Eidos", how did this go commercially?

It did pretty well, it sold almost twice as the records before. It was quite a step up for us in terms of commercial achievement. I mean, nothing really big but definitely a step up.

So this month you are releasing a new album entitled "The Persistence". Can you explain the theme of this new release and its title?

Well, the main theme is to persist despite difficulties in life. That’s the core of the record. It’s not a story but all the songs are related to this main theme.

The lineup of the band remains pretty much the same. It’s been pretty stable in the band right?

Right after "Eidos" European tour, Francesco D’Errico (bass player) left the band to focus on other aspects of his life. Now there’s Riccardo Nifosì taking care of the bass even though I played the bass on the record since Riccardo joined the band right after we finished the record. Beside that, it’s the same lineup as it was on the last three records.

Who did the artwork? it’s very nice!

As always we worked with Devilnax. We started collaborating with him on "Phlegetho"n and he did all our records artwork starting from there. He's a great artist and we have a very similar vision when it comes to visuals so it’s very easy for me to explain to him what’s going in my head and he immediately gets it.

How did you compose this album? I know you are always heavily involved, is it still the case?

I am the main composer of the band. I did the demos for all the songs as I always did from "Phlegethon" on. I write all the instruments parts and then we make small adjustments during the actual recording process. Nothing new this time, same process basically.

What about the lyrics? Who is in charge and what do you write about?

For the first time Diego Marchesi, our singer, took care of all the lyrics for the album. He writes about life, people... anything that inspires him. I know some of the stuff he writes about is very personal too so I cannot answer in deep details for him. I can tell you I like the way he writes and the topics he sinks into.

You always sing in English, ever thought about releasing a song in Italian?

Well, we thought about that from time to time but in the end, playing this kind of music, it feels more natural to use English. But this doesn’t mean it’s never going to happen... never say never...

On this album there is a special guest on a beautiful song called "Night's Descending", can you tell us a bit about how this worked out?

It was very simple. When I wrote the song and especially the vocal lines I immediately thought that sounded perfect for Daniel Gildenlöw's voice. I talked with Diego Marchesi about this and once he listened to the song he agreed with me so I just sent the song to Daniel telling him I thought it was just perfect for him and asked if he wanted to sing on it. He liked the song quite a bit and agreed in doing it. It was very simple.

I guess you guys are good friends with Pain of Salvation, has it started during the tour in the US?

Well, we've known each other since we shared several weeks together for several occasions. I would not say we are good friends, a friend is a bit more than that in my view, but we hang out together pretty well, they are nice guys and we have some good laughs together.

And there is more to come, I’ve seen that you are opening for PoS in Europe this time right, and for sixteen dates. Are you sharing tourbus?

Yes we are special guests on PoS EU tour. I’m actually doing this interview while we are traveling to Germany.

Do you think you will get Daniel to come and sing with you on stage?

Who knows? We’ll see what happens...

What’s in the plan for Kingcrow after this tour?

We already have some headline shows planned, especially the big one in Rome. And then I think I’ll start writing something again at some point.

Any chance to see headlining shows in France (in Nice)? With SUE again?

I think there will be a headlining tour early next year but it’s just my guess right now so I cannot tell you anything just because I don’t really know. We love the guys in SUE but we don’t know if there’ll be another tour like that also because now we don’t share the same management anymore. Would be nice though.

I know you are a big fan (and so am I), what do you think of RUSH retiring after their 40+ year career?

Yes I am a big fan but I think that if they felt it was time to retire they did the right thing, I can continue to enjoy their amazing discography while they will have a bit of deserved rest.